Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 459 Everyone Has Their Own Plans (Second Update)

Salomon refused to attend Hydra's Christmas dinner, but he still arranged for ten homunculus humans to be given to Stephanie, instructing her to completely subdue the conservative Hydra members, led by the Malik family, at the banquet. Although Gideon Malik was somewhat reluctant, considering that the Hydra members were essentially Stephanie's subordinates, and that the day of power transition within the Malik family was inevitable, he figured it was better to lay the foundation for Stephanie's rule before he grew too old and senile.

“Don’t go too bloody,” Gideon Malik pleaded. “Those families have followed the Malik family for centuries, and the conservative Hydra has immense wealth and connections, both in Britain and America. I believe those people can be useful to you.”

"This matter will be led by the Malik family, but—" Salomon gestured to the androids behind him, the implication clear. If the Hydra refused to obey, he wouldn't hesitate to use violent plunder to seize those resources.

However, Stephanie told him something else. It turned out she already held the true control over several publicly traded companies. If Salomon intended to reclaim those assets, she would inevitably have to merge them into a single conglomerate to improve administrative efficiency and coordination between the different businesses. "There might be resistance," Stephanie said. "The Rothschild family is involved, as are the Freemasons. Are you planning to purge them?"

"Why should I worry about a bunch of stonemasons who award induction medals to sports stars?" Salomon waved his hand dismissively, as if the Freemasons were truly just a group of stonemasons in his eyes. Stephanie wasn't surprised. The Immortal City was an armed and violent organization, and almost entirely disconnected from the world's economic system, so there was no need to worry about the capitalists wielding money behind the scenes doing anything underhanded.

The next step after pooling the funds is to convert the dollars into gold, and then use the gold to buy extraterrestrial resources. There are many sources of funding, one of which is the New York City mafia. Salomon promised Stephanie that she could do business with him on the extraterrestrial black market; he had already contacted a Kree black market dealer. That extraterrestrial black market dealer clearly wasn't interested in such a large deal as Salomon's.

Doing business on the black market offers no security. Just like auction houses in many fantasy novels, you could be attacked the moment you step outside. However, alien technology poses little threat to him. As long as it's defined as technology, from small alien firearms to large spaceships, he has ways to deal with it.

Stephanie was also assigned a modified Sorority Power Armor, enhanced with Life Support, to protect herself during the transaction.

With a hammer, everything looks like a nail, and Stephanie was no exception. This simple, direct approach allowed her to focus on more important tasks, such as the Martian foundry. Stephanie was inviting professionals to conduct a capacity assessment of the AI-controlled Martian foundry, and then using this as a benchmark to plan her strategy with Salomon, determining the pace of the grand project.

"The enemy is coming, Stephanie," Salomon said softly. "That will be our time to unleash our power. The battle will be far more devastating than anyone imagines; it will be humanity's first battle since leaving Earth. Be quick, Stephanie, be quick, we don't have much time left."

Salomon said this because he had overheard the movements of various empires in the universe while in the trading cities of the dimensional gaps. The Kree Empire's attitude towards Ronan the Conqueror was ambiguous, the ceasefire agreement was likely to become worthless, and the war between Xandar and the Kree Empire would break out again. Meanwhile, the cosmic warlord Thanos had recently dispatched a fleet to search for some mysterious objects.

The silent universe will soon become lively, and Earth will not remain peaceful for long.

"I will," Stephanie nodded. "Could you tell me what kind of enemy it is?"

"Just one of the most common villains in comics." Salomon shrugged, unwilling to say more. Thanos's fleet was too powerful; he had to speed up to catch up. He had already obtained the Venerable's permission, which allowed him to use the Time Stone to accelerate time in a certain region for the construction of warships—an absolute violation of the Kamar-Taj Commandments. Therefore, the Venerable and Salomon tacitly agreed not to mention it again, and even the Vishanti were unaware of it.

Perhaps Agamotto knew, but He did not stop it. The First Sorcerer Supreme, skilled in prophecy, had foreseen the possibilities of the future, and, being biased towards humanity, He acquiesced to Salomon's actions. From the moment Salomon first wore the ring, He felt that Agamotto's favoritism was abnormal.

But he could not fathom the intentions of the God of Truth, nor did the Venerable One know what Agamotto was planning.

Even the most bleak future cannot stop Salomon from taking off his suit and putting on a paper doll girl T-shirt.

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The apartment door slammed open, and the witches, oblivious to the weather, swaggered in wearing cropped shirts and jeans. The Cheshire Cat, following behind them, even tilted its head back, chin in hand, until it bumped into a table corner. The witches had accepted Athena's invitation to a spa treatment at a beauty salon purchased by the goddess of wisdom. Even the Cheshire Cat's fur became smooth and supple, and Bayonetta even showed off her newly done, pure black manicure to Salomon.

Tomorrow, the witches plan to inspect that manor and, incidentally, hold a stunt car race between them.

"Boya, why are you frowning?" Bayonetta, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, bent down, adjusting her sunglasses with one hand, and looked at Salomon through the gaps above the glasses. The hem of her white shirt was tied in a knot at her chest, and the arcane mage could even see the black lace trim. "Is it because we went out without inviting you?" she said with a smile, "Or are you jealous?"

"No, that's not true!"

"You're so cute!" Bayonetta pinched Salomon's cheek and then kissed him on the lips. "Satisfied now?" The scent of rosemary, a blend of sweet camphor and grass, emanating from Bayonetta filled his nostrils; the intoxicating fragrance, though pleasant, gave the witch a sense of unease. Bayonetta removed her hat and straddled Salomon's lap.

She was pleased with Salomon's physical response, especially the speed. She placed Salomon's hands on her waist, the sorcerer's hands filled with a delicate touch. A witch's belly wasn't as soft as an ordinary woman's; Salomon could feel Bayonetta's abs and abdominal muscles, her slender waist so small it could be encircled by two hands.

As Bayonetta instinctively braced herself against his waist with her long, strong legs, Salomon instinctively pulled her closer, supporting the witch's hips with one hand. His hand caressed the witch's smooth back, a gesture that made Bayonetta laugh, causing her silver triangular openwork platinum earrings, inlaid with sapphires, to sway.

"Would you like to see my apology?" Bayonetta placed her hands on Salomon's shoulders, looking down at him. A slightly sticky voice whispered in Salomon's ear, "Before Jeanne is dressed, I can let you see. If you don't want to sleep tonight, I can also..."

"Let Joan of Arc sleep on the sofa tonight."

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)